Note: Javascript is disabled or is not supported by your browser. For this reason, some items on this page will be unavailable. For more information about this message, please visit this page: About CDC.gov.

HIV Prevention in the United States:

Expanding the Impact

CDC estimates that 1.2 million people in the United States are living with HIV – and nearly one in seven of those are not aware that they are infected.1Approximately 50,000 people become newly infected each year.2 In addition to recognized risk behaviors, a range of social and economic factors places some Americans at increased risk for HIV infection. Prevention efforts have
helped keep the rate of new infections stable in recent years, but continued growth in the number of people living with HIV ultimately may lead to more new infections if prevention, care, and treatment efforts are not targeted to those at greatest risk.

Key References:

1CDC. Monitoring selected national HIV prevention and care objectives by using HIV surveillance data - United States and 6 U.S. dependent areas - 2012. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2014;19(No. 3). Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports. Published November 2014. (Accessed November 25, 2014).2CDC. Estimated HIV incidence among adults and adolescents in the United States, 2007–2010. HIV Surveillance Supplemental Report 2012;17(No. 4). Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/surveillance/resources/reports/#supplemental. Published December 2012.3CDC. HIV Surveillance Report, 2013; vol 25. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/library/reports/surveillance/. Published November 2015. (Accessed March 2, 2015)4CDC. Vital Signs: HIV Diagnosis, Care, and Treatment Among Persons Living with HIV -- United States, 2011. MMWR 2014;63(Early Release):1-6.
5Purcell D et al. Estimating the population size of men who have sex with men in the United States to obtain HIV and syphilis rates. The Open AIDS Journal 2012; 6(Suppl 1: M6): 114–123.
6CDC. Characteristics associated with HIV infection among heterosexuals in urban areas with high AIDS prevalence – 24 cities, United States, 2006-2007. MMWR 2011;60(31)1045-49.